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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tymurrey" data-source="post: 335380" data-attributes="member: 859">Things i've learned over the years is that not grazing pasture doesn't necessarily make for better deer hunting.  It does seem to make for better pheasant hunting though.  In one of my pastures i sprayed roundup on the cool season grasses in about a 10 acre area in early may i think it was to try and help get some switchgrass established.  the switchgrass never took off but the native warm season grasses took off and while they didn't provide cover the deer seemed to like to feed in them areas on the forbes and grasses that grew there.  I think an area of switchgrass or taller native warm season grasses would be awesome and i eventually plan on establishing some on mine.  Trees besides junipers and cedars for me didn't pay to plant unless i there was fabric or tubes placed with them.  Seems like everything else struggled to compete against the grass and weed and even the ones that lived grow really slow.  Tree replacement costs add up and hopefully you have some help with planting the replacements.  I think i have around 300 trees to replace this year on my pasture planting due to the drought and where they are at i cant maintain them very well and that planting is 3 or 4 years old.  I like what you have laid out but it seems like you may be hurting for bedding area to support a decent amount of deer and the tree rows will help but that will take a few years.  If you don't need the rent money off the cropland or alfalfa some of that planted to a taller crp type grass with a couple single row fast growing tree/shrubs would provide some good bedding/fawn/nesting cover along with a good area to walk for birds.  I am not sure whats around you for land types and if you plan on pulling deer from the neighbors to yours or if you want them to stay on yours.  It may suck to lose some of the rent money but losing 10 acres or so of that alfalfa would still provide plenty of forage along with the cropland for the wildlife and would increase cover substantially.Also make sure to take advantage of every cost share option you can get or any organizations that will help with cost coverage on trees.  The cost really adds up when you start talking more than 3 rows and any length to them.  Lots of good advice on the tree rows.  I contour planted 8 rows up next to an existing block of trees.</blockquote>

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